District-telegraph alarm-box



'- (-No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.-

' .0. G. ARMSTRONG.

DISTRICT TELBGRAPH ALARM BOX.

` Patented Jan. 7,1890.

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(No Model.) 2 sheetsheet 2l '0. G. ARMSTRONG. DISTRICT TELEGRAPH ALARMBOX.

N0.'4"18,778. Patented Jan. 7,1890.

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CHARLES G. ARMSTRONG, OF ENGLEWOOD, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO HIMSELF, AND GEORGE A. HARMOUNT, OF

" CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DISTRICT-TELEGRAPH ALARM-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 418,778, dated January7, 189.

Application filed March 14, 1889. Serial No. 303,345. (No model.)

fact that in all of those boxes in extensive use a single indicator-handis oscillated to polnt to one of a number of wants printed inconsecutive order around the center of oscilf lation of said handand-within reach thereof. In the excitement generally attendant on'ltheuse of the boxes, especially by persons not expert in their use, thehand is'turned to indicate the wrong want. I avoid all the diflicultiesby a well-appointed district-telegraph box which is simple inconstruction and easily operated and understood, substantially ashereinafter fully described, and as illustrated in the drawings, inwhich- Figure l is a front View of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front viewof the same with case removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof withthe case removed. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken'onl linew .'r, Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a detail view showing a plan of thejdevicesfor actuating the return-'signaling devices.

`Referring to the drawings, A- represents the board upon which myimproved boxis mountwire b leads to and forms a contact with theinsulated screw b', passing through the metal frame B. From this screw badivided shuntcircuit is provided, vwhich will be more fully referred tohereinafter. Placed and screwed in front of said frame B, about an inchand a half removed therefrom and concentric therewitli,'is agutta-percha circular plate C, and journ'aled in a cent-ral opening inthis plate and in the center of frame B is a spindle c, which has acommutator-wheel D on its u outer.` end. On the periphery of this wheel.

D I make notches for breaking the circuit and ringing off both thenumber of the box and the number `indicating the particular wantdesired. To establish vthe current through this com'mutator-wheel Iprovide la brush d, which just grazes the 'periphery of said Wheel anddoes not touch when the notches pass under it. This brush is secured toa suitable arm d', which is connected to a suitable screw e passingthrough said plate, and one of the shunt-wires e connects said screwwith the screw b', as shown. Thus the current would pass from thepositive post a (when unbroken) to screw b', to screw e, through thebrush to the commutator-wheel, through the spindle of said wheel to themetal frame B, and off through the negative WlIG. vided with a suitablenumber of notches or recesses :o to register the number of the box and aseries of notches or recesses y to register the wants. The latter seriesof notches correspond in number to the number of wants registered bysaid box.

Supposing there were ten wants, and that Now the periphery of the wheelis propolice required vten notches, tire five notches, and niessengei"one notch, to call the brush, I provide the push-bars E E E,

which reciprocate in suit-able openings in frame B and plate C, at rightangles thereto, and which extend outward through the case F of the box.On the outer ends of the bars E are push-buttons f, which have suitablyimpressed on their outer surfaces the particular want, by pushing onwhich the operator can signal to the central station.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings I have shown but three of these push-bars, andthe buttons on their outer ends are marked, respectively, Messenger l,Fire 5, ant Police l0. These bars are kept pushed out to the outwardlimit of their reciprocation by coilsprings F surrounding them, havingtheir inner ends resting against frame B and their outer ends pushingoutward against a guttapercha collar g, secured to said bars at a pointbetween frame B and plate C. The circumference of these collars iscovered with a brass shell, the outer circumferential edges of whichproject beyond the adjacent edges of the collar. Then these barsEarepushed outward to the outer limit of their movement, the edges of thebrass covering of collars g bear outward against plates l, 2, and 3 of ashunt-circuit secured to the inner surface of plate C and establish acircuit from screw e, through wire 71 to plate l, to the metal coveringof the collar g of the push-bar entitled Messen ger, through plate2,through the metal covering of the push-bar indicated by the word Fire,through plate 3, through the collar of the push-bar indicated by theword Police, and, finally, through a short plate -l and a wireconnection o from said plate direct to frame B or to the metal frameworkof the clock mechanism which actuates the commutator-wheel and connectsplate C t0 frame B, as will hereinafter be more fully referred to. IVhenone of the push-bars is pushed and held inward at the limit of itsinward movement, the collar g thereof is removed frein thecircuit-plates l and 2, or 2 and 3, or 3 and l, as the ease may be, andopens the circuit, and thus directs the full force of the current fromscrew c through the brush. To hold these push-bars inward until thenecessary number of recesses of the commutator-wheel have passed underthe brush, I provide the leaf-spring catches 7c 7c 7c, which aresuitably secured to the plate C, near the edge thereof, en a radial linewith the bar they are used in connection with. They extend inward in aradial direction past said bars on a plane in front of thecommutator-wheel and terminate at points within the circumference ofsaid wheel. The bars have notches m in the surface adjacent to saidspring-catches 7u, with the inner shoulder abrupt and at such pointsthat when they are pushed inward to the limit of their inner movementthe spring-catches k snap into said notches and hold the bars inward. Torelease the bar and permit its return toits normal position, thereprojects from the outer surfaces of the commutator a lug or finger G atsuch a distance from the center of said commutator that as it revolvesit strikes the free end of the spring-catches and pushes them out of thenotches m and leaves the push -bar free to return to its originalposition.

Now,the recesses in the periphery of the commutator-wheel are so placedwith reference to finger G that when it strikes against the catch k ofthe push-bar indicated by the word Messenger one recess of the series ywill have passed underthe brush. \Vhen it strikes against the catch 7cofthe next pushbar, indicated bythe word Fire, five recesses will havepassed under the brush, and when it strikes against the catch ofpush-bar indicated by the word Police ten recesses shall have passedunder the brush. 'lhus there will be recorded one ring, tive rings, orten rings at the central station, according to the push-bar pressedupon.

It is obvious that as many of the push-bars may be used as there arewants to be signaled for. They are arranged around the periphery of thecommutator-wheel at such a distance and in such relation to the brushthat the latter will cause the proper number of breaks in the circuit totake place as to register, by sound or other signal, the exact wantwhich it is desired the particular pushbar under consideration to call.

The clock mechanism H, heretofore alluded to, is the same, orsubstantially the same, as that used in the several districtalarm-telegraph boxes now in use, and I de not consider it necessary forthe purposes of my invention to describe it further than to say that itis wound up every time it is desired to use my improved box by'anoscillating lever I, and that it actuates the commutatorwheel justsufficient to complete one revolution.\

It is oftentimes the case that users of telegraph boxes, either throughcarelessness or undue excitement, call for the wrong want. New in allthe telegraph-boxes in current use, after the wrong call is once made,it is diiicult to be rectified. The only recourse the blunderer has isto make asecond call for the right want, thus registering two wants andreceiving personal answers that it would h'ave been better to dispensewith. I avoid this dieulty by simply revolving the pushbars on theiraxes. This action releases the bars from the hold of catches 7c, permitstheir return t0 their normal position, and prevents any call at thecentral station. Of course the wrongfully-depressed push-bar must berevolved before the recesses of series y begin to pass under the brush;otherwise a wrong signal would be recorded in either event.

A perfect system of district-telegraph alarm should have a centralring-off or some suitable signal whereby the user could know beyonddoubt that his call had been received at the central station. I haveaccomplished this in a very simple manner, and at the same time overcomea great objection which heretofore has always existed to thedistrict-alarm system. I refer to the confusion which ensues at thecentral station when two or more patrons use the system at the sametime. Under such circumstances it is impossible for IOO the centraloperator to understand the signals, and a second and third signal evenis sometimes necessary before he can comprehend.

My improvement consists of a helix or electro-magnet J, which is made bywinding the wire between the metal frame B and the negative post aor thew-ire h, between the positive post a and insulated screw b', around theiron core. This electro-magnet is so locatedthatan armature lo',supported on the end of a projecting arm k2 from a transverse spindle K,is magnetized when there is a current through the electro-magnet. Thespindle is journaled so as to be free to oscillate in suitable bearingsin the board A and case F of the box, and has a coil-spring Msurrounding its inner end, oneend of which is secured tov said spindleand the other to the board whose function is to oscillate the spindle,so as to swing the armature k away from the magnet J when" the currenttherethrough is broken. "When the circuit through said magnet is11e-established, it attracts the armature in front ot it and cscillatesspindle K.

On the outer end of spindle K, which projects through the case F', thereis a hand N, which, being fast to the spindle, oscillates therewith. Nowwhenever there is a break in the circuit the spring M causes the spindleto oscillate, so that the hand N points to the word Open, and wheneverthe circuit is established the magnet attracts the armature and causessaid spindle to oscillate, so that the hand points to the word Closed.

Every time a recess in the commutatorwheel, either of a series w or y,passes under the brush the hand N makes a quick oscillation. Thus when apatron goes to his box and notices the hand N oscillating he will knowthat somebody else is using the line and that hevis not to use it untilit stops. After the patron has used the box the central operator breaksthe circuit for about a half-minute, (more or le ss,),thus oscillatingall the hands N ot every box of the system to indicate open,

and holding it there for a short space of time.

The operation of my box is, it is believed, sutciently described todispense with fur- Y ther amplication.

l. In a district-telegraph signal-box, the combination, with a revolublecommutatorwheell D, having a series of recesses in its periphery, of abrush Zand the Wires of a divided circuit, one of said wires beingconnected to the vbrush and the other of said wires consisting ofseveral separate sections and suitable circuit-closers connecting saidsections, which are normally disconnected from the commntator-wheel,butare engaged by the same in the course of its rotation.

2. The combination`,in a district-telegraph signal-box, with a revolublecommutatorwheel D, having a series of recesses in its periphery forsignaling, of a brush d, the wires of a divided circuit, one of saidwires being connected to said brush and the other ,forming a shunt, anda push-bar E, connecting the sections of said shunt, which is normallydisconnected from the commutatorwheel, but is engaged by the same duringits revolution, said engagement taking place b efore or immediatelyafter the recesses of said wheel have all passed beneath said brush.

3. The combination,in a district-telegraph signal-box, with a revolublecommutatorwheel D, having a series of recesses in its periphery forsignaling, of a brush d, the wires of a divided circuit, one of whichconnects to said brush 'and the other of which forms a shunt-circuit,the reciprocating pushbars Efor opening and closing said shuntcircuit,having notches m in their outer ends, catches 7c, and fingers G,projecting from said commutator-wheel, as set forth.

4. The combination, in adistrict-telegraph signal'- box, with arevoluble commutatory Wheel D, having a series of recesses in itsperiphery for signaling, of a brush ci, the Awires of a divided circuit,one of which connects to said brush and the other of which forms ashunt-circuit, the reciprocating pushbars E, for opening and closingsaid shuntcircuit, coil-springs surrounding their inner ends, notches min them near their outer ends, catches k, entering said notches when thesaid bars are pushed inward, and lingers G, project-ing from saidcommutator-Wheel, and when said wheel revolves pushing said cat-ches outof said notches, as set forth.

5. The combination, in a district-telegraph signal-box, with a revolublecommutatorwheel D, having a series of recesses in its periphery forsignaling, of a brush d, a divided circuit, one of the wires of whichconnects with the brush and the other of which forms a shunt-circuitconsisting of independent plates which are arranged in segmentalalignment on insulated material, and reciprocating push-bars E, movingat right angles bet-Ween the ends of said plates, and when at thelimit-of their movement in one direction closing said shunt-circuit, andwhen moved in the opposite direction opening the same.y

CHARLES G. ARMSTRONG.

Vitnesses:

JAMES E. ARMSTRONG, t FRANK D. THoMAsoN.

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